After breakfast, Celia Sterling and Kian Sterling left for work together.
As one of the Sterlings' CTOs, Celia Sterling was in charge of overseeing the technology for several of the family's high-end brands. However, the tech department she managed wasn't located in the main Sterling Tower, but at a top-secret R&D facility several kilometers away.
Celia Sterling had always loved novelty. When she turned eighteen, Kian Sterling had thrown her into the product R&D facility to be personally mentored by several chief technology officers. After years of honing her skills, she now handled her work with ease, exuding a relaxed confidence.
She drove her "Big Lizard," dropping Kian Sterling off at Sterling Tower.
Instead of leaving right away, she parked in a nearby plaza's lot, grabbed a coffee, and leaned casually against her sports car, sipping it at a leisurely pace.
A discreet black Guster pulled to a stop not far away.
In the front passenger seat, Silas Norwood's assistant, Theo Chambers, was respectfully reporting the day's itinerary:
"At 8:30 a.m., you have a routine board meeting. At 10:30, you're playing golf with Chairman Jude and Chairman Warren. Over lunch, you'll be inspecting the Veridia Eco-Zone. At 2:00 p.m., you fly to Seraphina to discuss next year's strategy for Project A with Chairman Stanton..."
In the back seat, behind the privacy-tinted windows, an elegant, aristocratic figure sat listening to his assistant's report with a cool detachment. Suddenly, as if sensing something, he glanced out the window. His eyes landed on the vision of a stunningly beautiful girl, and from that moment on, they never moved.
Theo Chambers had no idea his boss's attention had already drifted.
He glanced at the time, got out, and then dutifully opened the rear passenger door for Silas Norwood.
"Boss, please."
The man in the seat didn't move, merely giving a slight gesture to be left alone.
Theo Chambers paused, taken aback. His eyes instinctively followed Silas Norwood's gaze and landed on the indolent, proud figure standing before the eye-catching "Big Lizard." He immediately fell silent, not daring to interrupt.
He had personally delivered that priceless, off-market set of perfume ingredients to the old Norwood family estate. He had also handled the new marriage contract. Naturally, he knew that this Eldest Miss Sterling would soon be the most esteemed wife of the Norwood Group's chairman.
Theo Chambers quietly closed the car door, retreated several feet away, and waited in silence.
Her coffee break stretched into a leisurely half-hour.
Celia Sterling narrowed her eyes in satisfaction, tossed her empty cup into a nearby trash can, and finally, slowly, straightened up to walk to the driver's side.
Inside the Guster, Silas Norwood, who had been watching her the entire time, reached out a long, elegant hand to open the door. His refined, aristocratic figure emerged into the daylight.
His voice was just as gentle and courteous. "Miss Sterling."
Celia Sterling turned at the sound of his voice to see the man walking toward her.
The warm sunlight softened his cool, distant aura, highlighting his impossibly refined features and captivating bone structure. His amber eyes were especially striking, with flecks of light floating in their depths, making it easy to get lost in them.
For a moment, Celia Sterling's mind went completely blank.
She feigned composure. "Silas, what a coincidence."
"Mm." Silas Norwood stopped a few feet in front of her. After that soft acknowledgment, he fell silent.
He stood tall and straight, dipping his head slightly to accommodate Celia's height. His uniquely beautiful eyes met hers with intense focus. Though he didn't say a word, his gaze felt anything but dismissive.
Celia Sterling felt she had to break the silence. "Heading to work, Silas?"
Silas Norwood nodded, a faint hint of a smile in his refined voice. "Yes, heading in."
After a two-second silence, Celia Sterling tried again. "Well, I'll let you get to it?"
Silas Norwood shook his head, saying in all seriousness, "I'm not busy today."
Not far away, his assistant, Theo Chambers, thought of the jam-packed schedule he had just gone hoarse reciting and kept his expression perfectly blank.
Celia fell silent again before searching for another topic. "Silas, why didn't you use the Norwood Building's private garage? This plaza is always so crowded. My brother parked here a few times and got his picture taken, and it was trending online every single time."
"The view from the plaza is better," Silas Norwood replied unhurriedly. "Besides, I'm not as dazzling as your brother, so I don't attract that much media attention."
In truth, Silas Norwood was no less newsworthy than Kian Sterling. He simply maintained a low profile. There were very few reports about him online; you couldn't even find two clear photos of his face, and the ones that did exist were deliberately blurred. Furthermore, the Norwood Family held sway over most of the entertainment industry. Without his approval, the media wouldn't dare report on the private life of such a top-tier magnate.
Kian Sterling, however, was a different story.
The succession scandal from his early years had caused a massive uproar, keeping him in the trending topics for months on end. Photos of Kian Sterling were plastered across every major platform. He was already incredibly handsome, and with the added appeal of being the rightful heir, tens of millions of fans, drawn in by his looks, fanatically supported him. His Weibo followers skyrocketed to fifty million in just a few days.
When he finally seized control of the Sterlings, forcing the former chairman and his illegitimate children to flee the country, his follower count surpassed eighty million. Those numbers put him on par with some of the entertainment industry's biggest superstars.
In an era where online traffic is king, Kian Sterling also had a personality that was unfazed by public opinion. The media treated him like a golden goose, swarming him like flies. The slightest hint of a scandal was a guaranteed trending topic.
Celia Sterling had no intention of making Kian Sterling the subject of their conversation.
She cleared her throat. "You're plenty dazzling yourself, Silas. I hear you also have tens of millions of followers on Weibo."
'Those tens of millions of followers have little to do with him being "dazzling,"' she thought. 'As the head of such a powerful family, people are more interested in his astronomical net worth.'
'Celia had browsed his Weibo page a few times out of curiosity. Aside from a single verification post, it was completely empty. That post had accumulated millions of comments, every last one of them treating him as The Moneybags and praying for financial luck.'
'The whole vibe was just...bizarre.'
Silas Norwood hummed softly again, his tone refined and courteous. "So, Miss Sterling follows my Weibo account?"
Celia Sterling offered a polite smile and demurred, "No, I just heard it from a friend."
"Then we should follow each other," Silas Norwood said, taking out his phone. He opened his Weibo page and held it out to her. "Considering our future relationship, it would seem strange if we didn't."
Celia Sterling hesitated for a moment before taking out her own phone and following him.
"WeChat too. It'll be convenient for money transfers." Before she could put her phone away, he had already switched to his WeChat screen. "Shall I scan your code?"
"What kind of transfers?" Celia asked, curious.
Silas Norwood's tone was solemn. "As your fiancé, if I don't give my girlfriend an allowance, I'm afraid people in our circle will talk."
"…"
Celia Sterling silently opened her WeChat QR code.
"And if it's convenient, could I get your personal phone number as well?" Silas Norwood's tone was unhurried as he explained with a straight face, "I rarely use Weibo or WeChat."
Celia Sterling finally couldn't hold back. "I also have a dozen gaming accounts, seven or eight email addresses, and five different global social media profiles. Silas, would you like to add all of those at once, too?"